One type of construction machine is a milling machine or cold planer. Cold planers are used to remove part of the surface of a paved area, such as a road, bridge, or parking lot. Generally, a cold planer includes a frame supported by tracks or wheels. Mounted on the frame, a milling drum removes and grinds the paved surface. The milling drum may be enclosed in a housing in order to contain the milled material.
A conveyor system of the cold planer is used to transport the milled material from the milling drum to a discharge location, such as, a bed of a dump truck. Typically, the conveyor system includes a primary conveyor attached to the frame and a secondary conveyor pivotally connected to the primary conveyor. The primary conveyor may be partially or fully enclosed by the housing and may transfer the milled material from the milling drum onto the secondary conveyor. Pivoted at an incline, the secondary conveyor may transfer the milled material from the primary conveyor to the discharge location, such as a dump truck or the like.
The secondary conveyor may be folded for transport purposes, such as, during transportation of the cold planer to and from the milling location. At the milling location, the secondary conveyor may be unfolded and deployed for use in an operating state of the cold planer. However, during the operating state, movement of the secondary conveyor is facilitated only by the pivoted connection between the primary and secondary conveyor, which may not always allow for optimum placement of the milled material onto the discharge location.
A folding transport conveyor is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,770,386, entitled, “Folding Transport Conveyor for a Construction Machine, Automotive Construction machine, as well as, Method for Pivoting a Transport Conveyor.” The folding transport conveyor of the '386 patent includes a first transport conveyor section articulated at the machine frame of the construction machine in a pivoting fashion, and a second transport conveyor section articulated at the first transport conveyor section in a pivoting fashion. Furthermore, the second transport conveyor section can be folded at the pivot point with first transport conveyor section only for transport purposes in order to shorten the length of the machine.
While effective, there is still a need for increased movement of the conveyor during an operating state of the machine.